Apparatus for opening and closing reservoir

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for opening/closing a reservoir, capable of communicating the inside the reservoir with outside air and preventing oil stored in the reservoir from leaking to the outside, the apparatus including a cap coupled to an oil injection port of the reservoir storing oil and provided with an air passage connecting an entry positioned in a center of an inner surface of the cap to an exit positioned at an inner surface of an outer side in a radial direction of the cap to communicate with outside air, and a gasket provided between the inner surface of the cap and the oil injection port and provided in a center thereof with an air-passing hole to communicate the air passage with an inside the reservoir, wherein the air passage is connected in a way to pass through a position, which is spaced apart from the entry to the exit in a coaxial manner with respect to the entry, at least one time.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2011-0102330, filed on Oct. 7, 2011 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir, and more particularly, to an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir capable of communicating an inside of the reservoir with the outside air, and capable of preventing oil stored in the reservoir from leaking.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, a reservoir filled with oil is coupled to a master cylinder in a communicating manner, and if a driver steps on and off a brake pedal, a piston provided inside the master cylinder reciprocates, and oil required for operating a brake system is provided by the hydraulic pressure generated through the reciprocating of the piston.

The reservoir is provided at an upper portion thereof with an oil injection port through which oil is filled in the reservoir, and installed at an upper side of the master cylinder.

With the trend of an engine room having a narrower width thereof, the interior of the vehicle becomes compact, and the reservoir tends to have a flat shape and the oil injection port is formed in an inclined manner at a predetermined angle.

Meanwhile, an apparatus for opening and closing the reservoir is installed at the oil injection port of the reservoir to prevent oil from leaking, and the reservoir needs to be communicated with the outside air such that oil is smoothly supplied to the master cylinder.

To this end, the apparatus for opening and closing the reservoir is provided with a hole having a predetermined size to communicate with outside air.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state of having a conventional opening/closing apparatus installed at an oil injection port, and FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating an air passage formed at the conventional opening/closing apparatus.

As shown in the drawings, the opening/closing apparatus 1 includes a cap 2 coupled to an oil injection port 11, for example, in a screw coupling, and a gasket 4 provided between the cap 2 and the oil injection port 11.

In order to communicate the inside the reservoir 10 with outside air using the opening/closing apparatus 1 as such, the cap 2 is provided with an air passage 3, and the gasket 4 is provided an air-passing hole 5. The air passage 3 formed through the cap 2 is provided in a straight line extending outward in a radial direction of the cap 2, and the air-passing hole 5 is formed in the center of the gasket 4. Accordingly, the inside the reservoir 10 is communicated with outside air through the air-passing hole 5 of the gasket 4 and the air passage 3 of the cap 2.

However, if a vehicle is shaken due to deceleration and acceleration while in motion, the oil in the reservoir 10, while fluctuating, strikes the air-passing hole 5 formed on the gasket 4. In addition, the temperature of an engine room is increased to expand the air-passing hole 5, and the oil is leaked over an upper portion of the gasket 4 through the air-passing hole 5. If the process as such is repeated, the leaked oil is released to the outside the cap 2 through the air passage 3.

The released oil contaminates an outer case of the reservoir 10, and also causes a secondary contamination due to dust attached to the released oil.

Further, the continuing of oil releasing causes a difficulty in smoothly supplying the master cylinder (not shown) with oil, and causes an economic loss.

In addition, the air passage 3 formed through the cap 2 is formed to be communicated in a straight line with the outside air, and if the vehicle is inclined even in a small degrees while in motion, the oil is easily released along the direction of an arrow shown on FIG. 1.

SUMMARY

Therefore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure to provide an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir, capable of preventing oil from leaking or capable of minimizing the leakage of oil in a case where a vehicle body is inclined in a predetermined angle according to the road condition, or even in a case where oil stored inside the reservoir is fluctuated while a vehicle is in motion.

Additional aspects of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the disclosure.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir includes a cap and a gasket. The cap may be coupled to an oil injection port of the reservoir storing oil and provided with an air passage connecting an entry positioned in a center of an inner surface of the cap to an exit positioned at an inner surface of an outer side in a radial direction of the cap to communicate with outside air. The gasket may be provided between the inner surface of the cap and the oil injection port and provided in a center thereof with an air-passing hole to communicate the air passage with an inside the reservoir. The air passage may be connected in a way to pass through a position, which is spaced apart from the entry to the exit in a coaxial manner with respect to the entry, at least one time.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir includes a cap and a gasket. The cap may be coupled to an oil injection port of the reservoir storing oil and provided with an air passage connecting an entry positioned in a center of an inner surface of the cap to an exit positioned at an inner surface of an outer side in a radial direction of the cap to communicate with outside air. The gasket may be provided between the inner surface of the cap and the oil injection port and provided in a center thereof with an air-passing hole to communicate the air passage with an inside the reservoir. The air passage may be provided in a spiral shape winding from the entry to the exit of the cap.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir includes a cap and a gasket. The cap may be coupled to an oil injection port of the reservoir storing oil and provided with an air passage connecting an entry positioned in a center of an inner surface of the cap to an exit positioned at an inner surface of an outer side in a radial direction of the cap to communicate with outside air. The gasket may be provided between the inner surface of the cap and the oil injection port and provided in a center thereof with an air-passing hole to communicate the air passage with an inside the reservoir. The air passage may include a main passage provided in a ring shape between the entry and the exit of the cap, a subsidiary passage configured to connect between the main passage and the entry, and a subsidiary passage configured to connect between the main passage and the exit.

In accordance with another aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir includes a cap and a gasket. The cap may be coupled to an oil injection port of the reservoir storing oil and provided with an air passage connecting an entry positioned in a center of an inner surface of the cap to an exit positioned at an inner surface of an outer side in a radial direction of the cap to communicate with outside air. The gasket may be provided between the inner surface of the cap and the oil injection port and provided in a center thereof with an air-passing hole to communicate the air passage with an inside the reservoir. The air passage may include a main passage provided in an oval shape or a polygonal shape between the entry and the exit of the cap, a subsidiary passage configured to connect between the main passage and the entry, and a subsidiary passage configured to connect between the main passage and the exit.

The main passage may be provided in a plurality of main passages thereof each having a different diameter between the entry and the exit, and the subsidiary passage may be configured to connect adjacent main passages among the plurality of main passages.

The main passage may be provided in a plurality of main passages thereof without overlapping one another, and the subsidiary passage may be configured to connect adjacent main passages among the plurality of main passages.

The subsidiary passage connected to the entry and the subsidiary passage connected to the exit may be configured to face different directions from each other.

The air passage may be provided to be recessed to the inner surface of the cap.

The air passage may be molded to be formed at an inside the cap.

A fastening unit having a ring shape may be formed around the air-passing hole adjacent to the center of the gasket while being inwardly bent to a lower side.

As described above, an apparatus for opening/closing a reservoir can prevent oil from leaking, or can minimize the leakage of oil in a case where a vehicle body is inclined in a predetermined angle according to the road condition, or even in a case where oil stored inside the reservoir is fluctuated while a vehicle is in motion. Accordingly, the outer case of the reservoir is prevented from being contaminated, and an economic loss due to the leakage of oil is prevented.

In addition, the inside the oil reservoir is communicated with outside air, so that the oil is smoothly supplied to the master cylinder, thereby ensuring the safety of the product.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and/or other aspects of the disclosure will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state of having a conventional opening/closing apparatus installed at an oil injection port.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating an air passage formed at the conventional opening/closing apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state of having an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure installed at a reservoir.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a principle region of an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a bottom view illustrating an air passage formed at an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are bottom views each illustrating an air passages formed at an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view illustrating an air passage formed at an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir in accordance with still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 9A to 9C are bottom views each illustrating an air passage formed at an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir in accordance with still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state of having an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure installed at a reservoir. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a principle region of an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 is a bottom view illustrating an air passage formed at an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 3 to 5, an apparatus 100 for opening and closing a reservoir 10 is characterized in an opening/closing structure thereof having the inside the reservoir 10, which is connected to a master cylinder 20, communicating with outside air and capable of preventing oil stored in the reservoir 10 from leaking. Prior to the explanation on the apparatus 100 for opening and closing the reservoir 10, a coupling structured between the master cylinder 20 and the reservoir 10 will be described in brief.

The master cylinder 20 is an apparatus configured to generate a braking force by receiving a force operating on a boost from a boost apparatus (not shown) based on the difference in pressure between the vacuum state and outside air, changing the received force to a hydraulic pressure and delivering the hydraulic pressure to a wheel cylinder (not shown).

Referring to FIG. 3, the master cylinder 20 is provided at an inside thereof with a first piston 21 and a second piston 22, and is connected to a boost apparatus (not shown) to operate the pistons 21 and 22. That is, if a brake pedal provided at a driver seat of a vehicle is stepped on, the stamping force applied to the brake pedal is transferred to the boost apparatus so that a force boosted by the difference in pressure between the vacuum state and outside air is transferred to the master cylinder 20. The first piston 21 and the second piston 22 are moved forward by the force transferred to the master cylinder 20, and the oil supplied from the reservoir 10 is transferred to the wheel cylinder (not shown) of the vehicle, thereby generating a braking force based on the pressure of the oil transferred to the wheel cylinder.

The master cylinder 20 is provided at an upper side thereof with the reservoir 10 to receive oil. The reservoir 10 is provided at an upper side thereof with an oil injection port 11, into which oil is injected and which is provided in a cylindrical shape to be inclined in a predetermined angle. Although not shown, the reservoir 10 is provided at an inside thereof with a plurality of partition walls to prevent oil from being biased to one side.

In addition, the apparatus 100 for opening and closing the reservoir 10 is installed at the oil injection port 11 to prevent oil from leaking to an outside.

As for an assembly of the reservoir 10 and the master cylinder 20 coupled as such, the reservoir 10 needs to be communicated with outside air such that the oil stored is smoothly supplied to the master cylinder 20. To this end, the apparatus 100 for opening and closing the reservoir 10 installed at the oil injection port 11 is needed to have a structure capable of communicating the reservoir 10 with outside air.

In this regard, the apparatus 100 for opening and closing the reservoir 10 includes a cap 110 coupled to the oil injection port 11, and a gasket 120 provided between the cap 110 and the oil injection port 11.

In detail, the cap 110 is coupled to the oil injection port 11 protruding from an upper end of the reservoir 10. In this case, the coupling scheme between the cap 110 and the oil injection port 11 is implemented through a screw. The cap 110 as such is provided with an air passage 111 connecting an entry 111 a positioned in the center of an inner surface of the cap 110 to an exit 110 b positioned at an inner surface of an outer side in a radial direction of the cap 110 to communicate with outside air. The description of the air passage 111 will be made later in detail.

The gasket 120 is provided in a disc shape between the oil injection port 11 and the cap 110 blocking the oil injection port 11 to prevent the oil leakage. The gasket 120 is provided in the center thereof with an air-passing hole 121 having a slit shape. That is, the gasket 120 serves to close the oil injection port 11 of the reservoir 10, and to allow the inside the reservoir 10 to communicate with outside air, so that the oil is smoothly supplied to the master cylinder 20.

In addition, the gasket 120 is provided in a middle portion thereof with a fastening unit 122 having a ring shape while inwardly bent to a lower side around the air-passing hole 121. As an end portion of a protrusion (112 in FIG. 4) formed on the cap 110 presses the fastening unit 122, a secure coupling of the fastening unit 122 is achieved. Since the fastening unit 122 stores a predetermined amount of oil leaking from the air-passing hole 12, the fastening unit 122 is formed in the middle portion of the gasket 120 in a way to be distant at the farthest from the exit 111 b of the air passage 111, which is to be described later.

According to the present disclosure, the air passage 111 formed at the cap 110 serves to communicate the inside the reservoir 10 with outside air in cooperation with the air-passing hole 121 formed at the gasket 120. In this case, the oil leaking through the air-passing hole 121 of the gasket 120 may be released to an outside through the air passage. In order to prevent oil leakage as such, the air passage 111 may be configured in a variety of shapes.

Referring to FIG. 5, the air passage 111 is formed in a way to connect the entry 111 a provided in the center of the inner surface of the cap 110 to the exit 111 b formed at the inner surface of an outer side in a radial direction of the cap 110 between the entry 111 a and the exit 111 b. In detail, the air passage 111 includes a main passage 115 provided in a ring shape between the entry 111 a and the exit 111 b, a subsidiary passage 116 configured to connect between the main passage 115 and the entry 111 a and a subsidiary passage 16 configured to connect between the main passage 115 and the exit 111 b.

As illustrated on the drawings, the main passage 115 is provided in three units of concentric circles on the entry 111 a each having a different diameter, and the subsidiary passage 116 is configured to connect adjacent main passages 115 among the three main passages 115. In this case, the subsidiary passage 116 connected to the entry 111 a and the subsidiary passage 116 connected to the exit 111 b are disposed to face different directions from each other such that the entry 111 a is prevented from being placed in line with the exit 111 b by the subsidiary passage 116.

Although the air passage 111 is illustrated as being provided with three units of main passages 15, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Alternatively, the number of main passages may vary.

Although the main passage 111 is illustrated as having a ring shape, that is, a circular shape, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, at least one main passage 111 may be provided between the entry 111 a and the exit 111 b in an oval shape or in a polygonal shape without overlapping each other.

For example, referring to FIG. 6, an air passage 211 has a structure, in which a plurality of main passages 215 each are provided in an oval shape and are connected to an entry 211 a and an exit 211 b formed at a cap 210 by a subsidiary passage 216. In addition, referring to FIG. 7, an air passage 311 has a structure in which each of a plurality of main passages 315 is provided in a rectangular shape, and connected to an entry 311 and an exit 311 b of a cap 310 by a subsidiary passage 316.

According to the shape and the arrangement of the subsidiary passages 116, 216, and 316, which connect the entries 111 a, 211 a, and 311 a and the exits 111 b, 211 b, and 311 b to the main passages 115, 215, and 315, respectively, the air passages 111, 211, and 311 may be implemented in various shapes. That is, the air passages 111, 211, and 311 are each provided in a shape of a maze, thereby reducing a likeliness of oil flowing and leaking in the direction of an arrow shown in FIG. 5. In this case, a portion indicated as a hatching in FIGS. 5 and 7 represents the air passages 111, 211, and 311.

The above embodiment has been described in relation that the air passages 111, 211, and 311 are connected by the main passages 115, 215, and 315, and by the subsidiary passages 116, 216, and 316. However the shape of the air passage is not limited thereto. According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, the air passage may be adopted with other shapes provided with a distance for oil leaked and a structure resisting the oil leakage. An air passage in accordance with still another embodiment is illustrated in FIG. 8.

Referring to FIG. 8, an air passage 411 is provided in a spiral shape winding from an entry 411 a, which is formed at the center of a cap 410, to an exit 411 b, which is formed at an outer side of the cap 410. That is, the air passage 411 has a distance that is long enough for the leaking oil, and the cap 410 has a structure inclined with respect to the oil injection port so as to resist the oil, thereby providing a structure capable of resisting the oil leakage.

That is, according to the above described embodiments, the air passages 111, 211, 311, and 411 formed on the caps 110, 210, 310, and 410 need to be connected in a way to pass through a position, which is spaced apart from the entries 111 a, 211 a, 311 a, and 411 a to the exits 111 b, 211 b, 311 b, and 411 b in a coaxial manner with respect to the entries 111 a, 211 a, 311 a, and 411 a, at least one time. That is, the air passages 111, 211, 311, and 411 need to have a structure inhibiting the oil, which is leaked from the air passing hole 121 of the gasket 120, from easily passing along the air passages 111, 211, 311, and 411 and being released to the outside. For such, the air passages 111, 211, 311, and 411 connecting the entries 111 a, 211 a, 311 a, and 411 a to the exits 111 b, 211 b, 311 b, and 411 b may be provided in various shapes other than the above embodiments, for example, a zig-zag shape. Referring to FIGS. 9A to 9C, air passages 511, 511′, and 511″ formed at caps 510, 510′, and 510″ of an apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir are connected in a way to pass through a position, which is spaced apart from entries 511 a, 511 a′, and 511 a″ to exits 511 b, 511 b′, and 511 b″ in a coaxial manner with respect to the entries 511 a, 511 a′, and 511 a″, at least one time.

Accordingly, the structure of the air passages 111, 211, 311, 411, 511, 511′, and 511″ as such not only communicate the inside the cap with outside air, but also prevent and minimize oil leakage.

As a result, the apparatus for opening and closing the reservoir includes all types of embodiments having a structure capable of preventing oil from being easily leaked by passing along the air passages 111, 211, 311, 411, 511, 511′, and 511″.

Meanwhile, the air passages 111, 211, 311, 411, 511, 511′, and 511″ described above are formed to be recessed to the inner surface of the caps 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 510′, and 510″ that make contact with a front end of the oil injection port 11. However, the air passages 111, 211, 311, 411, 511, 511′, and 511″ described above may be formed at an inside the caps 110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 510′, and 510″, respectively.

Although a few embodiments of the present disclosure have been shown and described, it would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes may be made in these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the disclosure, the scope of which is defined in the claims and their equivalents. 

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir, the apparatus comprising: a cap coupled to an oil injection port of the reservoir storing oil and provided with an air passage connecting an entry positioned in a center of an inner surface of the cap to an exit positioned at an inner surface of an outer side in a radial direction of the cap to communicate with outside air; and a gasket provided between the inner surface of the cap and the oil injection port and provided in a center thereof with an air-passing hole to communicate the air passage with an inside the reservoir, wherein the air passage is connected in a way to pass through a position, which is spaced apart from the entry to the exit in a coaxial manner with respect to the entry, at least one time.
 2. An apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir, the apparatus comprising: a cap coupled to an oil injection port of the reservoir storing oil and provided with an air passage connecting an entry positioned in a center of an inner surface of the cap to an exit positioned at an inner surface of an outer side in a radial direction of the cap to communicate with outside air; and a gasket provided between the inner surface of the cap and the oil injection port and provided in a center thereof with an air-passing hole to communicate the air passage with an inside the reservoir, wherein the air passage is provided in a spiral shape winding from the entry to the exit of the cap.
 3. An apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir, the apparatus comprising: a cap coupled to an oil injection port of the reservoir storing oil and provided with an air passage connecting an entry positioned in a center of an inner surface of the cap to an exit positioned at an inner surface of an outer side in a radial direction of the cap to communicate with outside air; and a gasket provided between the inner surface of the cap and the oil injection port and provided in a center thereof with an air-passing hole to communicate the air passage with an inside the reservoir, wherein the air passage comprises a main passage provided in a ring shape between the entry and the exit of the cap, a subsidiary passage configured to connect between the main passage and the entry, and a subsidiary passage configured to connect between the main passage and the exit.
 4. An apparatus for opening and closing a reservoir, the apparatus comprising: a cap coupled to an oil injection port of the reservoir storing oil and provided with an air passage connecting an entry positioned in a center of an inner surface of the cap to an exit positioned at an inner surface of an outer side in a radial direction of the cap to communicate with outside air; and a gasket provided between the inner surface of the cap and the oil injection port and provided in a center thereof with an air-passing hole to communicate the air passage with an inside the reservoir, wherein the air passage comprises a main passage provided in an oval shape or a polygonal shape between the entry and the exit of the cap, a subsidiary passage configured to connect between the main passage and the entry, and a subsidiary passage configured to connect between the main passage and the exit.
 5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the main passage is provided in a plurality of main passages thereof each having a different diameter between the entry and the exit, and the subsidiary passage is configured to connect adjacent main passages among the plurality of main passages.
 6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the main passage is provided in a plurality of main passages thereof without overlapping one another, and the subsidiary passage is configured to connect adjacent main passages among the plurality of main passages.
 7. The apparatus of one of claims 3 to 6, wherein the subsidiary passage connected to the entry and the subsidiary passage connected to the exit are configured to face different directions from each other.
 8. The apparatus of one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air passage is provided to be recessed to the inner surface of the cap.
 9. The apparatus of one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the air passage is molded to be formed at an inside the cap.
 10. The apparatus of one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a fastening unit having a ring shape is formed around the air-passing hole adjacent to the center of the gasket while being inwardly bent to a lower side. 